Most of us have to deal with pesky critters that want to cohabit with us. Here are a few do it yourself pest control ideas that you can try out to keep them away.

No matter how clean you keep your home or how new your house may be, pest infestation is bound to happen. Pests like roaches, termites, beetles, ants, ticks, spiders, earwigs, bees, and rodents are usually drawn to homes because of the warmth, shelter and food. While some pests may be merely annoying, some others, like rats, carry disease, while some others, like certain kinds of spiders, can be poisonous. And as for termites, these can devour through all your wooden structures, causing you thousands of dollars in damage. However, hiring a professional exterminator to get rid of pest infestation in the home can be an expensive affair, hence more and more people are opting for do it yourself pest control.

Before turning to insecticides, however, there are a few pest prevention methods you can use to limit infestation. One of the most important ways to reduce the populations of insects in your home is by cutting off the very things they come for, the food, shelter, and water. For example, see that you store your trash in containers that have lids which fit tightly. As soon as crumbs fall anywhere or there are spills, clean them up promptly. When you vacuum, make sure to do it thoroughly, particularly in cracks and crevices. If there are any leaks, fix them, in order to prevent insects seeking the moisture. Don’t stack boxes, wood, or paper near or in your home. If you have a garden, or plants in your house, keep the vegetation manicured and allow plenty of ventilation and sunshine. Seal all the cracks and holes around your house to prevent insects from getting entry inside. A cockroach needs just 1/16 of an inch of space to hide. When bringing in boxes, furniture and the like into your home, make sure that they are not harboring any insects.

Basically, you need to deal with the problem before it becomes unmanageable. Generally, people don’t do anything about pests until they begin overrunning the place. The more you procrastinate about pest control, the more difficult it will be to do it yourself. Also, it is a good idea to learn about the particular type of pest problem you have. For example, if it is cockroaches that are the problem, you need to find out what will work best to get rid of them. You will find a lot of resources on the Internet that will help you to formulate a good strategy and choose products to deal with your pest control problem. For example, there are many homemade, non-toxic organic pesticides that you can find out about that you can use. Many chemical pesticides are very harmful, hence it is always safer to opt for non-toxic remedies.

Given below are a few safe, natural pesticides that you can make at home which can work against just about anything, from getting rid of insects to killing fungus, mold or mildew, and exterminating pests:

Garlic is very good as an organic pest control ingredient in the garden, it is also a natural insect repellant and pesticide.

Garlic Spray: Put two tablespoons of mineral oil in a bowl and add 3 or 4 ounces of finely chopped garlic bulbs into it. Let it soak for a day. Dissolve one teaspoon of fish emulsion in one pint of water and mix this into garlic and mineral oil mixture. Strain this liquid and then store it in a glass container (do not use a metal container). When you want to use it, dilute one part of the solution to 20 parts of water. This kills mosquitoes, onion flies, and aphids.

Garlic as an insect repellant and pest control:

Planting garlic along with tomatoes keeps red spider mites away.

Borers will get repelled by planting garlic around fruit trees.

If you apply garlic spray on sweet potatoes it will keep the rabbits away from them.

Spray the garlic pesticide on ponds in order to kill mosquitoes.

Tomato Leaf Insect Spray: Crush some tomato leaves in a vegetable juicer and add 4-5 pints of water along with one tablespoon of cornstarch. Strain this liquid and store in the fridge, using it according to requirement.

Some of the best botanical pesticides are: Rotenone (extracted from cube and derris), Neem, Sabadilla, and Pyrethrin.

Garden pests can be controlled with insecticidal soap. It is very effective against aphids, flea beetles, spider mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, and thrips, and sometimes even leafhoppers and caterpillars. It becomes more potent when mixed with Rotenone. Insecticidal soap only works when applied directly, hence you need to spray it directly on the pest. It is also effective against powdery mildew, if it is combined with botanical or horticultural oils.

Mint and onion are excellent as repellants against bugs, fleas and beetles.

Pyola is a natural insecticide which contains canola oil and pyrethrins. It is effective against squash bugs, aphids, and beetles. Since most of the canola oil in the US is made from genetically engineered canola, growers of organic vegetables ought to check it out before using.

Boric Acid, also known as Borax, is very good against cockroaches, ants, ticks, fleas, termites, and many other insects. It is also an effective biocide and fungicide, especially when it is combined with hydrogen peroxide, and kills mold and fungus, including the toxic black mold.

Note: Be cautious when using broad spectrum pesticides. Try and target only pests, so that you do not kill beneficial insects.

And cypermethrin, one of the active ingredients in the popular ant and roach-killer Raid, is a known eye, skin and respiratory irritant and has negative effects on the central nervous system. … Household furniture often contains flame retardants and stain repellents that use PBDE’s as well as formaldehyde and PFOA (the same chemical used in non-stick cookware).

By the smell of it, I couldn’t believe that it was a bug-killer. The Ant and Roach Killer kills and repels: ants, carpenter ants, cockroaches, crickets, pill bugs, silverfish, spiders and other crawling insects on contact.

This acts quickly and then soon turns into a non-toxic agent. These chemical include: snail bait, ant killer, and wasp killer. Residual insecticides are long-term killers. They’re useful in the control of flies, termites, and roaches.